Student Blog: Academic Integrity, It's Integral

Academic integrity is something that is at the forefront of my brain. Coming from a secondary school where academic excellence was pushed along with integrity, it makes sense that I carry those values and habits with me in undergrad. JMU as a larger institution is very clear with its plagiarism and cheating policies from the initial first-year orientation. We are made aware of their strict policy throughout the semester through social media posts and reminders from our vice president of student affairs especially during midterms and finals. Here are just some of the ways I’ve kept this integrity over the past two years at JMU!

I typically give myself ample time to complete graded assignments like essays or written assignments. This not only means that I’ll put in a significant amount of work and research time into the project itself, making it robust and solid. It means that I’m not tempted to ask my classmate for their essay to turn in as my own or worse, plug the prompt into an AI platform and use what it creates. By giving myself the time and managing it accordingly, I make sure that I get it turned in by the due date with plenty of time. This makes me less likely to turn to things like AI or my classmate because the essay is due at midnight and it’s 11:57 pm. In the theatre world, it’s a lot harder to cheat on performance assignments since you can’t ask your friend to say your monologue for you or ask AI to do your intermediate jazz combo. But still giving just as much time and effort into those can help avoid those awkward brain farts on practicum or jury day.  

Going off of that, just don’t use AI. Like ever. AI has a ton of cool uses like helping you find your next song or monologue for class or even finding academic resources for you to read and use in your planning stages of essays. But, it’s painfully obvious the difference between a paragraph that was written by you and a paragraph written by an AI. To show it, I’ll write three sentences about cats and ask AI to write three sentences.

My Writing: When I was younger, I had a pet cat called Katrina. She was weird in that she had a cat bed but never slept in it. She always slept on a tiny, white shelf in the closet of my room.

AI Writing: The sleek black cat prowled gracefully through the moonlit garden, its emerald eyes glinting with curiosity. With a flick of its tail, it leapt effortlessly onto the old stone wall, surveying its domain with an air of regal indifference. As the night whispered its secrets, the cat disappeared into the shadows, leaving only the echo of its silent presence behind.

Everyone’s voice is unique in their writing. AI reads differently, especially to someone who knows how you speak and write. So, don’t even attempt to play it off as your own, just write it.

To end, my view has always been that a college education is a privilege, especially if you are in the performing arts. As an out-of-state student who was knee-deep in senior year self-tapes and college program auditions, this opportunity that I have is gold and is something that I never want to lose. Not just because I adore my school and program but because I have friends and still wish to create lifelong memories with them. Getting kicked out because of a breach of academic integrity would be heartbreaking and disappointing not only to my family but to myself. It’s why I use these tips and tricks to ensure that the work I put out in class is 100% me and no one else!